[Simpsons Modern Life]

Now, before I start this thread, do know I ain't a Cena hater, or am I a Cena fan ... if you read the topic someone posted about 'Do you respect John Cena' now .. you'll know my thoughts in regards to him exactly (click the spoiler to read my thoughts when asked 'Are you starting to respect Cena')

Spoiler: My thoughts on Cena

I can't say I've ever disrespected Cena, the guy clearly works hard, he is very dedicated, probably a bit of a yes man, but there is no hesitation of a doubt that he puts a lot into the WWE and he's very loyal and dedicated to the product.

The problem for me is the whole, how he's pushed into our faces way too much, like winning the Royal Rumble this year was the worst result ever, that's not anything against Cena it's just he doesn't need it, and other talent deserve these things more, yet he takes it and does it, sure he's gotta do what he's told as Vince is his boss, but surely he could have said something about giving other talent the spot or something, but I doubt he does, I think he just takes it, which I suppose some may say is fair enough, but still.

I mean, even now he's had to come back earlier than expected, was supposed to be out 6 months, maybe they are going to play on his injury here in the match with Del Rio, who knows, he did go a little while putting people over last year I think it was, but it didn't last long, and he was back to super Cena once again and I think this is the problem about it, it gets to a lot of people way too much and WWE really need to start to listen to what their fans want a bit more, I feel this is very important.

I don't think many people hate Cena, as a person that much ... I think it's more the way he's pushed down our throats, which obviously he gets the backlash from in the end.

However, thinking about this, on a serious note right now ... if John Cena was to all of a sudden depart from the WWE, who would replace him ... in all honesty?

Ok, so I'm guessing Daniel Bryan may come to mind for a few people right now, due to the massive push he's getting and how over he is, but Bryan's push and momentum has only been for a relatively short time, since the whole 'Yes' chants started around the time of Team Hell No, I think it was? ... so it's kinda hard to judge him on that, in regards to being the man if Cena was to depart from the WWE ... of course the other choice may be Orton to some ... but does Orton really have the charisma to do what John Cena does? (debatable) ... CM Punk probably isn't going to be with the company for many years to come .... so who would it be do you think .... really?

Again, I'm no Cena fan, and I feel the same way as most do about Cena ... but in all honesty, I really don't know who could replace him ... and that's for real.

So I just wondered what you guys thought about this, in all honesty ... think about it from a full on business perspective too (Ya know ... whats best for business) ... because even if you love or hate Cena, are sick to the back teeth the way he's booked and shoved down our throats quite often ... is there anyone in the company right now who could actually .. legitimately take his place?

Honestly and truthfully ... I'm not so sure right now .... thoughts???​

 

[BlandyBoreton83]

Re: If John Cena was to really step down or leave WWE who would replace him .. Really

It's all in the booking.
Who would have thought "Rocky Maivia" and "The Ringmaster" would go on to be 2 of the biggest stars ever in Pro Wrestling?
If a wrestler amasses a level of popularity and the WWE acts on this and bolsters his popularity with good character development, booking and storylines, then he will reach the peak of fan support.
The guys that come to mind in the WWE today that could replace Cena are in my opinion:

Daniel Bryan (if booked properly)
Cody Rhodes (if booked properly)
CM Punk (if booked properly)
Roman Reigns (if booked properly)

As much as I like Dolph Ziggler, I don't see him as a number one babyface.

 

[Cena rulz12345]

Re: If John Cena was to really step down or leave WWE who would replace him .. Really

Juan cena, lol
now on a serious thought
i think cody has the potientual to be big(but don't know will he be on cena's level),
he is been getting some good pops as of late and also has some good charisma,he also has the looks and can talk also so why not give him a push when he is over,
guys like reings could play batista and seth as punk can support him.
I would've liked for dolph to be in that role but he has such a big mouth and wwe also don't have much confidence in him.

 

[Simpsons Modern Life]

Re: If John Cena was to really step down or leave WWE who would replace him .. Really

It's all in the booking.
Who would have thought "Rocky Maivia" and "The Ringmaster" would go on to be 2 of the biggest stars ever in Pro Wrestling?
If a wrestler amasses a level of popularity and the WWE acts on this and bolsters his popularity with good character development, booking and storylines, then he will reach the peak of fan support.
The guys that come to mind in the WWE today that could replace Cena are in my opinion:

Daniel Bryan (if booked properly)
Cody Rhodes (if booked properly)
CM Punk (if booked properly)
Roman Reigns (if booked properly)

As much as I like Dolph Ziggler, I don't see him as a number one babyface.

Yeah, but in regards to booking, it can't be something that's all of a sudden done, it needs to be a build up over time, which is why I say, the obvious choice at the moment, would be Bryan ... but we don't know how long Bryan's momentum is going to last (could be a while seen as he was trained by HBK and is close friends with Cena) ... but if Cena was to depart tomorrow, I'm not really sure anyone else would be able to take his place, I mean, they've even had to bring him back already, when he was supposed to be having time off ... this isn't the talents fault on the roster, it's simply because WWE have invested everything into Cena, with no back up plan.

Cody Rhodes, he's one of my favourite's on the roster right now ... big time!!!! .. but honestly, I can't see Cody Rhodes being in the place of John Cena, CM Punk I'm not sure would even want to do it, I don't really think he's going to be in WWE for much longer, give a few years or something .... Roman Reigns, I actually thought of after I submitted the thread ... but even he isn't charismatic enough to be able to do the whole face thing, what John Cena is currently doing.

Honestly, I'm with most here, I get fed up with the way Cena is booked, I was pissed off he won the Royal Rumble this year, cause that's my fave PPV and although I do say, you shouldn't let a result ruin a PPV for you, this time ... for me personally, it did, and when it was announced he was off screen for 6 months recently, I thought great!!!!! ... and now he's been brought back earlier I'm also like *sigh* ... but let's be honest here, if Cena was to be gone permanently, I don't think there is anyone in the company who could step in .... and that's for real.

Again, this isn't the fault of the talent, the talent is there within the company .... the problem lies with the fact WWE have put all their eggs into John Cena's basket, built him up only and not really allowed anyone to get close to him, possibly Orton at best (for Smackdown really) ... and if Cena was to depart from WWE tomorrow ... they would really be struggling wouldn't they to have someone replace him.

Sure, they can do well when he's off screen .... but we all know he's coming back, and so do WWE, so it's not the same really.

Something to think about anyway ...

 

[markedfordeath]

Re: If John Cena was to really step down or leave WWE who would replace him .. Really

you do know that Bryan's popularity has been since early 2012 right? that's before Team Hell No, while he was still the WHC. so Yes its a huge possibility, they know they screwed up on his current booking and they're correcting it slowly. All of a sudden they're not calling him troll anymore and he's being booked strongly in matches again and had him stand tall to get the last laugh on Triple H this past Monday. Plus, the commentary has been favorable toward him, its Bryan all the way, its the closest they've come that's for darn sure.

 

[Simpsons Modern Life]

Re: If John Cena was to really step down or leave WWE who would replace him .. Really

you do know that Bryan's popularity has been since early 2012 right? that's before Team Hell No, while he was still the WHC. so Yes its a huge possibility, they know they screwed up on his current booking and they're correcting it slowly. All of a sudden they're not calling him troll anymore and he's being booked strongly in matches again and had him stand tall to get the last laugh on Triple H this past Monday. Plus, the commentary has been favorable toward him, its Bryan all the way, its the closest they've come that's for darn sure.

Like I said in the post, I can't remember when the whole popularity kicked in for Bryan, but I'm sure it was around Team Hell No, him arguing with Kane and going 'YES!' and then 'NO!' .. the WHC title reign, didn't really strike me as anything overly popular or memorable, they're still doing the whole 'He's not good enough to be face' angle, which is why he keeps getting screwed, I can't really agree with much there in regards to what you said to be honest, I do agree he's the closest to it, but I really don't think it's been that long he's had this momentum on a whole to be certain of that, I think it was back end of 2012 when Team Hell No started, so it's probably around a year ago now ... and it wasn't straight away either the whole 'Yes' chants started, which is ultimately what got Bryan over with the crowd (they just loved, and still love the participation of this), before that Bryan was pretty much stuck in mid card without much personality (at that time), I think he only held the WHC for around 4 months, he's the closest to it, but what longevity would he have and could Bryan be in the place of John Cena, realistically??? (Maybe .. that's what I'm asking people's thoughts on in regards to this and who really).

 

[Adverseer]

Re: If John Cena was to really step down or leave WWE who would replace him .. Really

The small guys look weak and the big guys are portrayed as being weak? So he's all that's left, so he's superman. So I guess promote one of the big guys.

 

[Simpsons Modern Life]

Re: If John Cena was to really step down or leave WWE who would replace him .. Really

The small guys look weak and the big guys are portrayed as being weak? So he's all that's left, so he's superman. So I guess promote one of the big guys.

BUT ... if he dropped out tomorrow .... what have they got? (You'd have to build up a big guy, which can't be done over night).

 

[markedfordeath]

Re: If John Cena was to step down or leave WWE today who would replace him .. Really?

i'm sorry, thats not correct, I say that with respect though. If you remember back to 2010, when he was fired for strangling the announcer with the tie. People at the next Raw, were chanting his name over and over again, and then at every Raw after that, until he came back at Summerslam 2010 to a gigantic pop for team WWE. Then if you watch the MITB ladder match in 2011, the one where he won, they chanted his name toward the tail end of the match before he grabbed the briefcase. Then when he won the WHC from the Big Show while cashing in his briefcase, the crowd went crazy, and they even went crazier when he won it the first time that didn't count after he pinned Mark Henry but Henry wasn't cleared to wrestle so they gave it back. He was over well before the yes chants started. When he first created them, nobody did it, they just said No to mock him. So it was his personality and wrestling ability that got him over then the yes chants followed. So he was over way before that. it was a slow gradual build, listen to him talk in interviews about it, it was a 4 year slow build up to get to where he is now. At Wrestlemania 30, that will be the official passing of the torch. Cena is going to stay on Smackdown for a little while so they can focus more on Bryan on Raw....they're using Cena for the ppv buys and the ratings while they build up new stars, but Bryan is the guy....Him and Cody.

 

[Quasi Juice]

Re: If John Cena was to step down or leave WWE today who would replace him .. Really?

They are without Cena right now and they are doing okay. I can see HHH stepping in the ring again for a bit to help out the company. If I were them I'd just let it happen organically; who do the WWE fans cheer for? If Bryan stays popular, push him to the top. If Sami Zayn debuts and the fans love the guy, give him a good push. The writers don't listen to the crowd enough. Instead of always wanting one person to be THE main guy, just go with the flow and push whoever is hot at the time and let the WWE brand sell itself.

 

[austin316 G.O.A.T]

Re: If John Cena was to step down or leave WWE today who would replace him .. Really?

He is carrying the show in Cena's absence now.He will do it till they find a suitable replacement

 

[Asenath]

Re: If John Cena was to step down or leave WWE today who would replace him .. Really?

Punk would go to the head of the class by default.

Keep slow & steady building Bryan. Maybe push Cody up to WHC rank.

Dolph somewhere in the middle. Face turn Rollins & slow burn build him up as Hardy 2.0.

It would be a situation where multiple guys would shoulder the load, but not one MAIN guy. That's something you can't plan for. That just happens. Whoever the next guy was, he'd show his face during the time of upheaval, like a Stone Cold did.

 

[markedfordeath]

Re: If John Cena was to step down or leave WWE today who would replace him .. Really?

Going forward, Rhodes, Bryan, Punk and Cena are going to be the top four for the foreseeable future. The other guys can't get over and stay over. They don't like Ziggler so he's not one of them. But the top four are obvious, the rest of the roster can't stay over with the crowd and they dont give a shit about the rest of the roster, nor do the fans. so it is one of the three of them other than Cena. Punk is going to take some time off reportedly so Bryan, Rhodes and Cena are back to being the top three, that's all they have, everyone else just isn't important enough in the grand scheme of things....so now you know who wins the Rumble and who gets the important matches at WM30, it'll be those four followed by part timers.

 

[Asenath]

Re: If John Cena was to really step down or leave WWE who would replace him .. Really

The small guys look weak and the big guys are portrayed as being weak? So he's all that's left, so he's superman. So I guess promote one of the big guys.

Some of the best top guys weren't what you'd classify as a 'Big Guy'. Neither Shawn nor Bret were. Stone Cold was about average size for a wrestler. You can't just say, "Stick any old meathead in there. Any old muscle mary will do."

It has to be someone the crowd can rally behind or get attached to or fall passionately in love/hate with.

 

[Simpsons Modern Life]

Re: If John Cena was to step down or leave WWE today who would replace him .. Really?

i'm sorry, thats not correct, I say that with respect though. If you remember back to 2010, when he was fired for strangling the announcer with the tie. People at the next Raw, were chanting his name over and over again, and then at every Raw after that, until he came back at Summerslam 2010 to a gigantic pop for team WWE. Then if you watch the MITB ladder match in 2011, the one where he won, they chanted his name toward the tail end of the match before he grabbed the briefcase. Then when he won the WHC from the Big Show while cashing in his briefcase, the crowd went crazy, and they even went crazier when he won it the first time that didn't count after he pinned Mark Henry but Henry wasn't cleared to wrestle so they gave it back. He was over well before the yes chants started. When he first created them, nobody did it, they just said No to mock him. So it was his personality and wrestling ability that got him over then the yes chants followed. So he was over way before that. it was a slow gradual build, listen to him talk in interviews about it, it was a 4 year slow build up to get to where he is now. At Wrestlemania 30, that will be the official passing of the torch. Cena is going to stay on Smackdown for a little while so they can focus more on Bryan on Raw....they're using Cena for the ppv buys and the ratings while they build up new stars, but Bryan is the guy....Him and Cody.

That's ok, I'm not right on everything and it's a forum to talk respectfully about debate and opinions, so it's all good .... personally though, I do like Daniel Bryan, but I just can't imagine him being the John Cena of the company, as good as he is (he's better than Cena), but he also doesn't have what Cena has, and, as sad it sounds, he's not a big guy ... which we know how WWE work in regards to their top stars, the one that could is Ryback in that sense or like you said, Reigns .... but it's like I mentioned before about Reigns and Ryback well, I'm not sure the fans would allow it.

They are without Cena right now and they are doing okay. I can see HHH stepping in the ring again for a bit to help out the company. If I were them I'd just let it happen organically; who do the WWE fans cheer for? If Bryan stays popular, push him to the top. If Sami Zayn debuts and the fans love the guy, give him a good push. The writers don't listen to the crowd enough. Instead of always wanting one person to be THE main guy, just go with the flow and push whoever is hot at the time and let the WWE brand sell itself.

Yeah but there is no risk there because Cena is coming back and it's only temporary, it does make a difference does that because they can survive without a big star for a while, but if it was to be permanently, it would be a different story really, panic comes to mind.

Sami Zayn is awesome, he's going to be a big star once he gets onto the main roster, but I feel he'll be mainly mid card, maybe a couple of higher card feuds but he'll mostly be mid card I think, like Ziggler ... and Ryder (when it comes to popularity), well Ryder's momentum has gone, but you get my point.

 

[markedfordeath]

Re: If John Cena was to step down or leave WWE today who would replace him .. Really?

Zayn won't amount to much in the WWE, he'll be enhancement talent, he's built just like Christian and we all know how Vince felt about Christian, do the words "blue dot" spring to mind? lol Also, if Cena were to get injured very badly at hell in a cell, then there would be no one other than Bryan and Punk, they are the ones the crowd picked. They weren't forced down anyone's throat, they became popular because the crowd picked them to be their guys. Sheamus, Batista, Orton, were all shoved down our throats and they were company faves, just like Cena. Bryan and Punk made themselves and they are what the crowd wants at all times..thats very rare, when you force feed guys to the crowd it backfires. So Bryan has to be the next guy, and they have to start booking him better because business would be better if they didn't book him to look weak half the time..they fluctuate him strong to weak, weak to strong, it needs to stay consistent...And they need to start doing that, because the rest of the roster is light years behind. so Bryan after WM30, I see him being the new guy equal to Cena....

 

[Simpsons Modern Life]

Re: If John Cena was to step down or leave WWE today who would replace him .. Really?

He is carrying the show in Cena's absence now.He will do it till they find a suitable replacement

It's crazy really though isn't it that they'd be left with having to use a temporary fix, this is what I mean about them having no back up plan really.

Punk would go to the head of the class by default.

Keep slow & steady building Bryan. Maybe push Cody up to WHC rank.

Dolph somewhere in the middle. Face turn Rollins & slow burn build him up as Hardy 2.0.

It would be a situation where multiple guys would shoulder the load, but not one MAIN guy. That's something you can't plan for. That just happens. Whoever the next guy was, he'd show his face during the time of upheaval, like a Stone Cold did.

Again, can't see Punk being around long enough to carry the company for the next ten years or so (which a Cena replacement would need to do), you're right about slowly building up some of the toher guys though, I see where you're coming from with that ... I just don't really know if DB could be a Cena, if that makes sense? (as much as I like DB too)

Going forward, Rhodes, Bryan, Punk and Cena are going to be the top four for the foreseeable future. The other guys can't get over and stay over. They don't like Ziggler so he's not one of them. But the top four are obvious, the rest of the roster can't stay over with the crowd and they dont give a shit about the rest of the roster, nor do the fans. so it is one of the three of them other than Cena. Punk is going to take some time off reportedly so Bryan, Rhodes and Cena are back to being the top three, that's all they have, everyone else just isn't important enough in the grand scheme of things....so now you know who wins the Rumble and who gets the important matches at WM30, it'll be those four followed by part timers.

You're right about the Ziggler thing, but if the choice is between Bryan and Rhodes, to be the John Cena of the company, it doesn't seem to fit does it? ..... again, Cody Rhodes is one of my absolute favourites right now ... but I can't see him being the John Cena of the company, but who knows, sometimes you can't see these things until they happen.

Some of the best top guys weren't what you'd classify as a 'Big Guy'. Neither Shawn nor Bret were. Stone Cold was about average size for a wrestler. You can't just say, "Stick any old meathead in there. Any old muscle mary will do."

It has to be someone the crowd can rally behind or get attached to or fall passionately in love/hate with.

I agree with this totally, but I do feel that Vince does try to hold back and away from that, when Bret was the top dog, it was cause he had no choice, Hogan had gone, Bret was popular at the time, but soon as he got someone to replace Bret's spot ... he did, I think for the look of the company, they love a big jacked up guy, the one thats gonna represent WWE on magazines, TV shows, be the recognizable face, they want a big guy ... not some guy that's not overly as big.

That's why terrible workers such as Warrior get pushed so much and amazing workers like Savage, Bret, Perfect don't get the high acclaim that Warrior got.

 

[Pycckue]

Re: If John Cena was to step down or leave WWE today who would replace him .. Really?

not daniel bryan he sucks. he is low ratings

 

[SinJackal]

Re: If John Cena was to step down or leave WWE today who would replace him .. Really?

Unfortunately, nobody right now can truly replace him. There are guys who are as good/slightly better than him in individual aspects of wrestling (besides image and charisma where he's among the tops in both categories), but the overall package. . .no one is really putting it together as much as Cena. Daniel Bryan has Cena's spot/push right now, but it's clearly not the same. All due respect to Bryan, but he's just not going to fill those shoes. It's unfair to even expect that tbh.

Even more unfortunately, WWE would instead push Punk even harder than they have last year. He will be ramrodded down our gullets as the new face of the company all over again.

Luckily for those who dread that, Punk is so lazy when it comes to taking care of his body (or god forbid actually improve on it) that he'll more than likely have a shorter career than Cena. Cena will probably be around for another 3-4 years as an every day guy, and I seriously doubt Punk outlasts him. If by some miracle he does, he will be so close to done that he won't be an option.

So tbh, WWE's gonna have to go a new direction and try to push someone else. Someone younger. I don't wanna say Ryback since he's my favorite current guy, or Sheamus because he's about as old as Punk and Cena, but someone else. Maybe someone we don't even have around yet. Or maybe Cesaro if he improves his mic skills?

 

[Simpsons Modern Life]

Re: If John Cena was to step down or leave WWE today who would replace him .. Really?

Zayn won't amount to much in the WWE, he'll be enhancement talent, he's built just like Christian and we all know how Vince felt about Christian, do the words "blue dot" spring to mind? lol Also, if Cena were to get injured very badly at hell in a cell, then there would be no one other than Bryan and Punk, they are the ones the crowd picked. They weren't forced down anyone's throat, they became popular because the crowd picked them to be their guys. Sheamus, Batista, Orton, were all shoved down our throats and they were company faves, just like Cena. Bryan and Punk made themselves and they are what the crowd wants at all times..thats very rare, when you force feed guys to the crowd it backfires. So Bryan has to be the next guy, and they have to start booking him better because business would be better if they didn't book him to look weak half the time..they fluctuate him strong to weak, weak to strong, it needs to stay consistent...And they need to start doing that, because the rest of the roster is light years behind. so Bryan after WM30, I see him being the new guy equal to Cena....

I think you're right about that, with those guys building their own popularity as opposed to those who they tried to make us warm to, it doesn't overly work, but they still do it, like what I said in my last quoted post about Bret etc.. of any of those guys were top, it would only be very temporary I think, until they had a jacked up or big guy to replace, it's sad but true.

But again, doesn't it make you feel that WWE putting all their eggs in Cena's basket is a bit silly really? .. cause that's what they've done and they have no one else to really replace Cena, if something went down where he left the company tomorrow for whatever reason, they do actually rely on Cena a lot.